Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.--Psalm 80:3
It's review day again. I'll look back at the readings for the last 6 days.
Day 113--The Skeptic and the Believer
Proverbs 30:1-9
In a dialogue between a skeptic and a believer the writer of Proverbs, tells us that God protects us and all his promises are true. Then the believer prays for "just enough," so that he won't forget that he needs God if he gets too much, and he won't dishonor God by stealing if he has too little.
Day 114--Giving In To Every Impulse
Ecclesiastes 2:4-10
The writer of the scripture passage has indulged in everything he can imagine. I examined the "pleasures" that I had indulged in over the past week. Then I examined the motives behind those pleasures. I didn't get any surprises. However, I pray for discernment to know when "pleasure" is lying to me.
Day 115--Don't Go It Alone
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
A beautiful passage that is frequently used in wedding ceremonies.
We are not made to be alone. God said it at the creation of the first man. There is great benefit in friendship/partnership.
I give thanks for my friend, Phillipp, at work, and for my wife of over 22 years, Christi. God has blessed me greatly with these friends/partners.
Day 116--What's the Point?
Ecclesiastes 6:1-9
One of the more depressing entries. Things are bad. All of our striving is "smoke." (All we are is dust in the wind? Heh.) God showers people with blessings, then they don't get a chance to enjoy them. The writer actually says that a stillborn child is better off.
"We work to feed our appetites; meanwhile our souls go hungry." A loose translation, nevertheless meaningful. And so true of our society.
Hopeless? On the surface, maybe, but if we work for something higher, we have the hope that our striving is not in vain, not "smoke," or even "dust in the wind." Even Kerry Livgren finally figured that out when he found Christ.
(Just a side note, here...if you want to see a fascinating journey of searching for meaning that actually winds up in the right place, listen to some of Livgren's work with Kansas. Begin by listening to the album, "Leftoverture," followed by "Point of Know Return." Both albums really chronicle the frustration he was feeling as he searched for God in the wrong places. Finally, with "Vinyl Confessions" and "Drastic Measures," we see a new Kerry Livgren after he has found Christ. It's really cool.)
Day 117--Pain
Ecclesiastes 7:2-3
Pain is a reality of life, just as is death. The writer insists that we can learn more from a funeral than from a feast. And that crying is better than laughing because it scours the heart. I believe both statements to be true to some degree. If you have the misfortune to attend a funeral, watch people. You can learn a lot about the human condition at a funeral.
Day 118--Do All To the Glory Of God
Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
Eat, drink, and be merry. Even if you can't find a Dairy Queen (anyone seen one of those lately? Not many left). But do it to the glory of God. Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your might. Glorify God with your life. Live your life!! Great advice from one who lived a very full life, full of every luxury imaginable. Yet he found, at the end, that glorifying God was the most important thing.
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
What is more beautiful than God? What?
Another Piper quote from a sermon that he preached long ago: "It is an infinite sin to prefer anything to an infinitely attractive God."
Grace and peace, friends.